@Raja_MBZ: The scammer played it smart, by agreeing to receive the quarter ($250) installments, in order to gain your trust, and he did... I would probably do the same as you, being influenced by the eBay culture, where I've bought hundreds of things and always paid upfront in full ($500+ in some cases) without any problems.

Your story serves as a lesson to all of us, to never trust anyone we don't really know, especially when it comes to Bitcoin. "Don't trust, verify!" is the motto. Bitcoin's strength of irreversibility can cut both ways, like a double-edged sword. Got to treat it as such.